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GeekWire Highlights: Amazon Protests, Tesla Cybertruck Test Drive, Veeam's $1.5B Revenue, OpenPipe's $6.7M Funding, and Washington's Fusion Power Support
GeekWire's most popular technology stories for the week of March 24, 2024, covered topics including Amazon protesters opposing fossil fuel use, Tesla Cybertruck test drives in Seattle, Veeam's headquarters move and revenue milestone, OpenPipe's $6.7M funding round, and Washington state's support for fusion power development.
Brinc Unveils LiveOps Software to Manage Public Safety Drones, Communications, and Evidence Storage
Brinc launched LiveOps, a browser-based software platform that integrates drone fleet management, live streaming, real-time maps, communications, and evidence storage for public safety agencies. The Seattle-based company aims to expand its reach beyond drone pilots to emergency response teams, offering LiveOps alongside its hardware and service packages.
Mission Zero Technologies unveils modular DAC unit claiming 3–5× lower energy use and lower-cost plants
UK startup Mission Zero Technologies has developed a modular direct air capture device that uses a water-based solvent and electrodialysis to extract CO2, claiming 3–5× lower energy use and lower costs by using off‑the‑shelf components and compatibility with intermittent renewables.
Sports Loft gathers 2024 predictions from top sports investors—including Techstars, Ryan Sports Ventures, Edge VC and Sapphire Sport—on industry shifts and investment focus
Sports Loft surveyed leading sports and media investors and VCs for their 2024 expectations, collecting lessons from 2023 and predictions about where the industry will focus. Contributors emphasized disciplined investing, sustainable fundamentals, and shifting revenue strategies as key themes for the year ahead.
Fixie Launches HiSanta.ai for Real-Time AI Voice Calls with Santa and Holiday Characters
Seattle startup Fixie launched HiSanta.ai, a web platform enabling real-time AI voice calls with Santa and holiday characters using integrated large language models and speech technology. The service is designed as a fun technology demo featuring fast and interactive conversations while deliberately avoiding questions about Santa's reality.
Blake Resnick, 23, Leads Seattle Drone Startup Brinc to Enhance Public Safety with Advanced UAVs
Blake Resnick, founder and CEO of Seattle-based drone company Brinc, uses technology to improve public safety with drones designed for first responders. At 23, he secured significant early investment and aims to expand drone use for police and medical emergencies.
Seattle Startup Wokelo Raises $1.5M Pre-Seed to Use AI for Rapid M&A Due Diligence Reports
Wokelo, a Seattle-based startup founded by two former management consultants, uses AI to generate detailed due-diligence reports in minutes, streamlining the M&A research process. Founded in 2022, it has raised $1.5 million in pre-seed funding to further develop its product.
John Stanton of Trilogy Equity Partners Discusses Steady Venture Investments and AI Acquisition Challenges Amid Regulation
John Stanton of Trilogy Equity Partners highlights steady investment activity despite venture capital downturn, emphasizing AI-driven opportunities and regulatory challenges facing tech acquisitions. Speaking at a Harvard Business School event, Stanton also noted US regulators' impact on major tech companies' ability to acquire AI startups.
Seattle Recruiting Startup SeekOut Cuts 7% Staff Amid Restructuring, Plans Growth to 225 Employees in 2024
Seattle-based recruiting software startup SeekOut laid off 16 employees (7% of its workforce) in a restructuring but plans to grow its team to 225 employees by year-end. The company, valued at over $1.2 billion after raising $115 million last year, uses AI technology and serves over 1,000 clients including Salesforce and McKinsey.
Scaled Foundations Launches AI Platform GRID to Enable Natural Language Programming of Robots, Backed by Khosla Ventures and E14
Scaled Foundations, a Seattle-based startup led by former Microsoft executive Ashish Kapoor, has launched an AI-powered platform called GRID to simplify programming robots through natural language prompts. Backed by Khosla Ventures and E14, the platform enables non-technical users to command robots like drones for complex tasks by integrating AI models and simulations.
Amazon Alumni Raise $12.5M for Griptape, a Seattle Startup Building Secure AI App Frameworks for Enterprises
Amazon veterans Kyle Roche and Vasily Vasinov raised $12.5 million for Griptape, a Seattle startup creating a secure AI application framework for enterprises. Griptape offers an open-source Python toolkit and cloud platform to help companies safely build and manage large language models, with a commercial launch planned for October 2023.
Brinc CEO Blake Resnick, 23, Raises $80M Led by OpenAI's Sam Altman for Lemur 2 Drone Shipping in 2023
Brinc, a drone startup founded by 23-year-old Blake Resnick, is preparing to ship its Lemur 2 drone for public safety agencies later this year, having raised over $80 million from investors including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. Resnick, who left Northwestern University to start Brinc after a tragic event in his hometown, leads a team of nearly 100 employees with more than 400 customers.
Seattle Startup Forum3 Launches Hive3, an AI Content Creation Contest with Cash Prizes and Sponsorships in 2024
Seattle startup Forum3 announced the production of Hive3, an esports-style AI content creation contest offering cash prizes and sponsorships, launching later this year. The contest aims to showcase generative AI's potential, educate viewers on AI tools like ChatGPT and Midjourney, and address ethical and legal concerns amid growing AI adoption and industry controversies.
Seattle Startup Meetingflow Raises $760K to Expand AI Platform Improving Sales Meeting Efficiency
Seattle startup Meetingflow, formerly Panda.AI, raised $760,000 from previous investors to grow its AI-driven platform that enhances sales meetings by automating preparation, note-taking, and follow-ups, led by CEO Aaron Goldfeder. The pivot aims to address inefficient client meeting processes by integrating calendar, CRM, and OpenAI’s GPT technology.
Likewise Launches ChatGPT Plugin for Personalized TV, Movie, Book, and Podcast Recommendations Backed by Bill Gates
Likewise, an entertainment discovery platform backed by Bill Gates' private office, launched a ChatGPT plugin that provides personalized recommendations for TV shows, movies, books, and podcasts, aiming to reduce users' 23-minute daily search time. The plugin integrates with OpenAI's chatbot to deliver tailored entertainment options accessible via clickable details like ratings and streaming locations.
Microsoft and Helion Energy to Build First Commercial Fusion Power Plant by 2028 in Washington State
Microsoft and Helion Energy have announced an agreement to build the world’s first commercial fusion power plant in Washington state, aiming to operate by 2028. This plant could provide a limitless, carbon-free energy source to power Microsoft’s global data centers, marking a significant step from fusion research toward practical, clean energy production.
Grin Lord, CEO of Seattle’s mpathic, Finalist for Startup CEO of the Year at 2023 GeekWire Awards for Empathy-Driven Communication Software
Grin Lord, CEO and co-founder of Seattle startup mpathic, specializes in using empathy to improve corporate communication and is a finalist for Startup CEO of the Year at the 2023 GeekWire Awards. Her company applies machine learning to analyze conversations and foster empathy across industries such as insurance, healthcare, and human resources.
Seattle Startup Groundlight Raises $10M Seed to Revolutionize Warehouse Monitoring with AI and Natural Language Computer Vision
Seattle startup Groundlight, co-founded by former Amazon and Picobrew execs Leo Dirac and Avi Geiger, emerged from stealth with a $10 million seed fund to simplify warehouse monitoring using AI-powered computer vision. Their platform enables businesses to query real-time video feeds through natural language prompts for instant, customizable insights.
Fixie Raises $17M Seed Round to Help Companies Integrate Large Language Models into Software
Fixie, a Seattle-based startup founded by former Google and Apple engineers, raised $17 million in seed funding to develop a cloud platform that helps companies integrate large language models into their software for automation and AI applications.
Seattle AI Startup CareerFlow Helps Over 20,000 Job Seekers Refine Resumes Amid Tech Layoffs Using GPT Technology
Seattle startup CareerFlow uses AI, including OpenAI's GPT, to help job seekers optimize resumes and organize job searches amid tech layoffs, serving over 20,000 users. Co-founded by Nikita Gupta, the company has raised $100,000 in pre-seed funding and plans to monetize through universities and career services.
Brinc Unveils Lemur 2 Drone with Advanced Features, Raises $80M, and Hires Ex-Amazon Engineers Amid US DJI Blacklist
Seattle-based drone startup Brinc unveiled its Lemur 2 drone featuring 3D mapping and obstacle avoidance, aiming to support public safety agencies amid U.S. efforts to blacklist Chinese drone maker DJI. Founded by Blake Resnick, Brinc has hired former Amazon Prime Air engineers and raised $80 million to compete with well-funded rivals like Skydio.
Outreach Lays Off 70 Employees, 7% of Workforce, and Pauses Office Expansion Amid Missed Revenue Targets
Seattle-based sales software startup Outreach is laying off 70 employees, about 7% of its workforce, following a failure to meet revenue targets and amid a broader tech industry slowdown. The company will also suspend merit increases and delay office expansion as it aims for operational efficiency and profitability.
Seattle AI Startup Kaito Raises $5.3M Led by Dragonfly to Build Crypto-Focused Google-Like Search Engine
Seattle startup Kaito, founded in 2022 by Yu Hu, raised $5.3 million led by Dragonfly to develop an AI-powered search engine that aggregates scattered cryptocurrency information from across the web. Kaito aims to simplify crypto research by integrating AI tools like GPT-3 and offering both free retail and subscription-based institutional versions.
Kirill Zubovsky Launches Smartynames AI Tool Generating Over 1 Million Domain Name Suggestions Since December 2023
Startup founder Kirill Zubovsky created Smartynames, an AI-powered tool using OpenAI's GPT-3, that generates available domain name suggestions from business descriptions. Since its December launch, the tool has generated over one million domain name suggestions and plans to expand its AI offerings for businesses.
Icertis names ex‑SAP marketer Gretchen Eischen as CMO amid $2.8B valuation; Apollo partner David Sambur exits Expedia board
Icertis hired former SAP marketing executive Gretchen Eischen as CMO while moving Seth Nesbitt to a newly created culture role; Icertis was valued at $2.8B after an $80M round. Apollo partner David Sambur resigned from Expedia Group’s board after a $1B investment, and Remitly named Vishal Ghotge EVP of North America.
People
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Kevin Weil Executive, Former Vice President of OpenAI for Science, Vice President
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Vijaye Raji Executive, CTO of Applications
